


a walk back home in the early morning

by skeletondragon



Category: SKAM (Spain)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22671877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skeletondragon/pseuds/skeletondragon
Summary: Amira heads home after the Fiesta Superviaje and Dani accompanies her. Amira drifts in her memories, Dani messes up asking for some advice, and the two of them talk.
Relationships: Amira Naybet & Cris Soto Peña, Amira Naybet/Dani Soto Peña
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	a walk back home in the early morning

**Author's Note:**

> Amira is adorable and everyone needs to appreciate that, okay? 
> 
> A couple days ago I had this idea for a short fic, except then I started writing and it ended up being 3,000+ words. Whoops. I wrote it out pretty quickly – please forgive any grammatical and/or continuity errors (and let me know if you spot any!)

It was well past midnight, and despite the fun Amira was having at the Fiesta Superviaje, it was time for her to head home. She meandered through the crowed, searching for the girls to let them know she was on her way out, the bodies of people pressing almost uncomfortably close as they danced. The thumping music and flashing lights made it difficult to distinguish individual faces until she was very near. She wasn’t sure where anyone was and couldn’t look around easily to find her friends. 

As Amira walked through the crowd, she spotted a familiar figure chatting to the man next to him. She fought the urge to take out her phone and check her reflection – her makeup had probably melted already in the heat, but she didn’t have any time to fix it. She took in a steadying breath and went up to Dani, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention. He turned around at the touch, smile breaking out as he looked down and saw whom it was. “Amira! How’s it going?”

Amira smiled back at him. “The party has been fun, but I’m on my way out. I have to get up early tomorrow to help my mom, and I’m getting a bit tired anyway,” she said apologetically, adding an exaggerated yawn for emphasis. “Have you seen Cris or Nora or the rest of the girls anywhere? I wanted to say goodbye to them and congratulate Nora again on her performance but we lost each other in the crowd.”

Dani frowned briefly. “I haven’t seen them, but if you want, I can help you look.”

Amira’s face heated, but between her skin tone and the dim lighting, she was pretty sure Dani couldn’t tell. Besides, two sets of eyes were better than one, and she didn’t want to spend more time than necessary chasing down her friends. “Yes, that would be helpful. Thank you!”

Dani bid goodbye to the friend he had been talking to and joined Amira on her way through the mass of people. He didn’t touch her, but she still felt his presence by her side. His height helped to part the crowd and made an easier vantage point to look out across their heads. After a few minutes of searching, he lightly tapped her arm and pointed towards the front of the room. “I think I see Nora there!” he said, volume increasing as the bass from the DJ continued its constant rhythm.

Amira mouthed a quick thank you to Dani, not bothering to yell above the music. As she took a step forward to pass him, however, Dani caught her on the arm. Amira glanced at him, confusion writ large over her face. “Hey, if you don’t mind, I can walk you home,” he said, looking her straight in the eyes, face close enough that he didn’t have to shout.

If Amira hadn’t been blushing before, she certainly was now. This hadn’t been in her plans for the evening. The idea had been to go to the party, celebrate Nora and Jorge’s performance, hang out with her friends, and then head home. Running into Dani and having him walk her home threw an unexpected, if not unwelcome wrench in all that. She waved her hands, trying to dissuade him. “Oh no, don’t worry about it, I’ve walked there plenty of times by myself, it’s fine, I know it’s out of the way for you,” she babbled, the words pouring out before she could think to stop them. She would love for him to walk home with her, but she wasn’t prepared for this at all. She felt flustered and could feel her expression becoming slightly more frantic as she spoke.

Dani’s eyes darted over her, taking in her movements. His brow furrowed slightly, and he gave Amira a softly skeptical look. “Amira, it’s late, and I know you can take care of yourself, but you’re still a girl and things can happen.” His expression shifted, became slightly pleading. “Just let me do this? If nothing else, it will give me some peace of mind.”

Amira looked at Dani and hesitated. The lights flashed over his face, distorting it with an array of colors. He was speaking the truth – she felt fine walking on her own, but it was late, and her parents would love to hear that she wasn’t alone on her way back. A small voice in the back of her head treacherously whispered that it would also be lovely to walk back with Dani in the crisp weather and that she couldn’t know when this opportunity might land again. As that voice spoke, another joined, arguing that she would be fine, it was a short walk and that she shouldn’t risk seeming nervous and dumb in front of anyone, let alone Dani.

In the end, logic and emotion won over embarrassment, and she shrugged as nonchalantly as she could manage. “Okay, if you don’t mind, I could let you accompany me.” Dani smiled at her but said nothing, and she passed him into the crowd. When the pair had reached the platform Nora was on, Amira climbed the stairs and reached over for her with a smile. As she did, she spotted Cris dancing beside her. “Cantanta! I’m leaving, Dani is gonna take me home.”

Dani piped up behind her. “Yeah, I’m gonna take her, okay? I have to go too.”

“Didn’t you come with Viri?”

Amira shook her head. “Oh, no, no, I didn’t.”

Nora shrugged and turned to Cris. “Well, she’s leaving!” Dani blew Cris a kiss, which she caught in the air as she continued to move. The four of them said their goodbyes, and Amira and Dani headed to the exit.

The coolness of the air outside was a welcome relief after the stifling humidity of the party. Amira spun around, momentarily forgetting that she wasn’t alone until Dani’s laughter broke through and reminded her. She stopped and shot daggers at him. He stifled his laughter, but if anything his grin grew even wider. “Do you still live at the same address? I think I remember the way,” he said, gesturing for Amira to start. She huffed and turned around, going off in the direction of her house, Dani walking alongside her.

The two were silent for some time. She resisted the urge to look at Dani because nothing good could come of that. Instead, she listened to the sounds of the night around her, the clamor of the party’s music decreasing with each step, replaced with the common noise of the city at midnight. Somewhere far in the distance a truck rumbled past, and closer by the shouts of drunken friends and lovers echoed down the street.

As they turned a corner, Amira’s will faltered and she risked a quick glance at Dani. When her eyes darted over, they met his before his eyebrows raised and he turned to face forward. She reflexively did the same, flexing her fingers for something to take away the sudden nerves she felt.

When had things become so awkward with Dani? They had known each other for years. He was always in the background of Cris’ life and Amira had become used to seeing him whenever she visited their home. It was only in the past year or so, she realized in retrospect, that things had changed. The shift was so gradual that she hadn’t noticed it happening until it was well underway. Little things, like the way he laughed at her jokes and the extra food he would leave for her stuck in her mind more often. She wasn’t sure if he had started doing them any differently than usual or if she had just started noticing them more. Once she started noticing the small things, it was hard to stop. The way he smiled at Cris’ antics, the elation on his face when his rugby team won, the soft fluff of his hair when it was damp from a shower- Amira remembered it all. It was becoming a bit of a problem.

Her reverie was broken when Dani spoke. “So, how’s life been with you? It doesn’t seem like you’re with Cris at our house as often, is everything all right with you guys?” She looked over and saw the concerned crease of his brow. Amira knew Dani was simply trying to look after Cris. He tried not to interfere with her life, but she knew from experience that he really cared about his little sister.

She smiled, tried to look reassuring. “Yeah, everything is fine. We had a bit of miscommunication when she was first hanging out with Joana, but that’s all cleared up now. If I’m not over as often, it’s just because school is getting busier.”

“So, you knew about those two? When did she tell you?”

“Um, I think around April? We had a fight, I thought she didn’t want to be friends anymore because she kept leaving me behind, but it turns out she was just so enamored with Joana that she wanted to meet up with her as often as possible.” Amira giggled at the memory. It hadn’t been fun at the time, thinking that her best friend was abandoning her, but looking back it was amusing to see just how taken Cris was with Joana. Cris, the girl who had always taken the idea of relationships so lightly, the girl who was now head over heels in love with her girlfriend.

Dani’s jaw dropped open, and he said in a tone of mock outrage, “What?! She only told me about it a month later!” He held the shocked look for a moment before it cracked and he laughed. “I’m glad you two aren’t having any issues though, Cris always seems more down when that happens.” Amira nodded, mind drifting back to the few times she and Cris had fought in the past. It wasn’t a common occurrence, but when it happened it took forever to be resolved. Both of them were too stubborn to admit their fault until they missed each other so much that the stalemate inevitably broke over tears and hugs and bowls of ice cream.

Amira was content to let her mind linger in the memories, but it seemed Dani had something else to say. She could tell he wanted to continue talking, but he wavered, chewing over his next words. They continued walking. Several minutes later, Dani spoke up, eyes trained at some point in the distance, not looking at Amira. “Did you – did you have any problem with it? With Cris and Joana, I mean.” Once the words were out, Dani turned to look at her, a sheepish, uneasy expression on his face. Amira wasn’t sure if his demeanor was due to the discomfort of the question or her response.

Amira stopped in her tracks, turned so that she was fully facing Dani, and crossed her arms. Even without Dani explicitly saying so, his words sounded familiar, and she knew the subtext. “You know, Cris was worried about the same thing, that I wouldn’t be okay with her and Joana because I’m Muslim. I don’t know why you would assume that, have I ever said anything like that?” she said, tone sharp. She wasn’t angry, exactly, since this misunderstanding wasn’t close to the worst thing that had been assumed about her religion. The assumptions had gotten worse since she started wearing hijab – now along with the usual ignorance about Islam being violent and barbaric, people seemed to love assuming she was oppressed as well. Still, she had known Cris and Dani practically her entire life, and it distressed her to imagine that they thought she could love Cris any less just because of her religion, the thing that brought so much joy into her life.

Dani’s eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up as a look of alarm settled in. “No, no, God Amira, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry,” he said in a rush, the words tripping over themselves in his haste to get them out. His hands were animated, and a flush had risen in his face. If she weren’t annoyed at him, Amira would have found it incredibly endearing.

Amira sighed. “I know you didn’t mean it like that Dani. Still, have some faith in me. I love Cris, and nothing can get in the way of that.” Her voice nearly cracked, and her throat felt tight. She started walking again, feeling more tired than she had a few minutes prior. She wanted to blame the late hour, but she knew it wasn’t the truth.

Dani stood in place, let her go a few paces before catching up with her. “Fuck, I really messed this up. I really am sorry, Amira. You don’t have to accept the apology, but it’s the truth.” Amira stayed silent, and he continued. “The reason I was asking was because, uh, well. Did I tell you about the new guy on our rugby team, Omar?”

This wasn’t where Amira was expecting the conversation to go. She looked at Dani quizzically and shook her head. Her throat still felt raw and she didn’t want to risk speaking until she knew her voice would be reliable.

Dani continued his explanation. “He joined a few months ago. He’s a really great, amazingly quick and dependable on the field, and maybe the friendliest guy I’ve ever met off of it. He was born here but his family is from Egypt. He’s Muslim, and a pretty religious guy, I think. Not that I have any real basis of comparison besides you and a few other people I know, but he prays five times a day and he’s told me about his family’s Ramadan celebrations, so he seems devout.”

Amira knew Dani was building to something, but she had no idea what it was. He had started gesticulating with his hands, seemed almost agitated, like it was supremely important that she understood the meaning behind his words. “So one day after practice, we were talking about something or other, and he was going to the mosque, and he asked if I wanted to go along. I didn’t have anything else to do, and it sounded interesting, so I went. And when I went with him, and he was praying, it all seemed so peaceful. When I was there I was also thinking of you, especially since you’d started wearing your hijab.” Now it was Amira’s turn to have her eyebrows raise. She wanted to say something, but thought better of it and decided to let Dani finish. It seemed as though this topic had been weighing on him for some time.

He sighed forcefully and looked up, eyes fixated on the moon in the inky black sky. “I don’t know where I’m going with this. All I know is that I liked my time at the mosque, and I’ve been back with Omar a few times since then. Whenever he and you talk about Islam, it sounds so beautiful, and I guess I wanted to know more about that, but then I started thinking about Cris.” He paused, looked over at Amira. “You probably know the story better than I do, but it’s so nice to see her with Joana. I love her, and I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t an issue, and Google was giving me a bunch of conflicting answers, so I thought I should ask you, except then I fucked it up. I had wanted to ask you about what it was like, putting on the hijab and things like that, but if you’re mad at me I understand completely.”

Dani finished talking just as they entered the block with Amira’s house, but she needed a few minutes to digest what he had just told her. She walked over to a bench that was near a streetlight and sat down, Dani following and taking a seat beside her. She stared at the sidewalk in front of her, mulling over her words. Dani had just been so vulnerable with her, and she wanted to take care on what she said next. Finally, she began speaking.

“I accept your apology,” she said. Dani gave her a small smile that bolstered her speech. “I really wish you and Cris had used your heads to think properly, but there’s so much misinformation in the news and online that I can kinda understand why you would be apprehensive.” She smiled sympathetically at him. The poor guy looked on the verge of tears welling up. She remembered her emotional turbulence in the months before she had decided to become more pious – it had not been an easy decision, though she knew now it had been the correct one. It seemed Dani was also at a crossroads in his life, and she wanted to help if she could. “If you are thinking of looking more into Islam, for whatever reason, you know you can ask me. Maybe you want to talk to Omar instead, and I would understand that, but I can also help if you need it.”

Dani looked at her, his eyes wide with astonishment. His eyes darted over her face, from one eye to the other, to her hijab, and back again. He may have glanced at her lips, but it happened so quickly that Amira wasn’t sure. When he spoke, his voice sounded mildly strangled. “Thank you, Amira. For understanding and for offering help. I think this is something I need to decide on my own, but I will need some advice along the way.” He started toward her momentarily before rethinking and sitting back. Amira gave him another smile and squeezed his hand briefly.

After the rush of talking to Dani, the full exhaustion of the late hour and party was finally hitting her. As if on cue, her phone buzzed. Amira peeked at the screen and saw a message from her mother asking if she was on her way back. She quickly typed back that she was just outside, but she didn’t want to worry her mom any further. It seemed like their time was up. Amira stood up and saw Dani considering her. She pointed to her phone. “I should head inside, I don’t want my mother to worry. Thank you for walking back with me.”

Dani grinned, the smile hampered only slightly by a sheen of tiredness as he also stood up. The pair walked to Amira’s doorstep. “It was my pleasure. Thank you for letting me walk with you, and for listening to me make a fool of myself.” At his remark, they both chuckled, then lapsed into silence. Amira was at a loss for what to say, if anything.

Dani looked at her again, and then suddenly wrapped his arms around her. The hug was brief and chaste. When he let go, Dani was blushing, and Amira knew that she was too. He coughed, and moved a few steps back as Amira fished in her wallet for her keys. “I’ll see you later!” he said once she had opened up the door. Amira waved goodbye and stepped inside.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Amira went to her room and put her face in her hands to scream a little to herself. Her face and body felt like they were on fire, and all from a hug. As she collapsed back into her bed, Amira thought back on what had happened. All in all, from the party to the performances to the discussion with Dani, it had been a good night, and she drifted off to sleep peacefully.


End file.
